HIXSON, Tenn.—Walmart employees don’t necessary want to display explicit adult items a few feet from children’s princess and superhero toothbrushes.
But store layout is strictly specified by corporate policy, they told an Epoch Times reporter, who asked about the choice at stores in Signal Mountain and Hixson, Tennessee.
Another Walmart employee said all product placement is handed down by corporate headquarters and must be strictly followed. Employees asked about the display of battery-operated devices used in sexual activity generally expressed surprise and disapproval.
“I didn’t even know they had that over there,” said a Walmart manager who declined to be named, but added that the choice seemed “messed up.”
“Whatever is more convenient for them to make money,” an employee, who declined to give his name, told The Epoch Times.
In Hixson, Walmart has a display of X-rated items from companies such as PlusOne and Cake. Those companies’ websites don’t list a minimum age for buyers. However, a quiz on Cake’s site doesn’t have an under-18 option for users.
PlusOne allows users to select “17 and under” for age, as part of leaving reviews online. On its website, the company has graphic images on how to use its products and states that it’s dedicated to “breaking down barriers and outdated taboos regarding sexual self-pleasure.”
Walmart was selling sex toys online as early as 2012. Displaying them prominently in stores appears to be a recent change.
Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart was founded in 1962. The company operates about 10,500 stores in 24 countries. It employs almost 1.6 million people in the United States, and another 700,000 around the world.
The Epoch Times contacted Walmart, Cake, and PlusOne for comment, but didn’t receive a response as of press time.
h/t Coastie Patriot